This Blog monitors all terror activities of Indian Naxals ie., PWG (Peoples War Group) and Government policies to tackle naxal menace . PWG's current goal is to destablize India and Sub-Continent by a well coordinated strategy with the help of international revolutionaries and covert support from Pakistan and China .

Thursday, May 22, 2008

KATHMANDU (AFP) — Nepal's embattled king is expected to quit his Kathmandu palace soon, reports said Thursday, just days before the Himalayan nation's monarchy is due to be abolished.

King Gyanendra was likely to move to Nagarjun, a palace on the outskirts of the city, before he loses his status and becomes a common citizen, newspapers said.

He has been ordered to leave the city-centre Narayanhiti palace before the first meeting of the constitution-writing assembly on May 28, when it is set to formally end the monarchy, turning the impoverished nation into a republic.

"There is a possibility that the suspended king will leave Narayanhiti palace around the time of the deadline he was given to leave," the state-run Gorkhapatra newspaper reported Thursday.

"The suspended king will spend some time in Nagarjun before going to his own house -- Nirmal Niwas -- after abandoning Narayanhiti," the newspaper said, quoting unnamed palace sources.

Palace press officials said they had received no information about the king leaving Narayanhiti, a sprawling pink palace set in massive grounds in the heart of Kathmandu.

But Kishore Shrestha, the editor of a weekly tabloid full of stories about the embattled Shah dynasty, said palace sources had told him that the king would leave the palace soon.

"I've heard the king is planning to leave Narayanhiti for another palace for a few days... I don't think he'll be back until after the declaration of the republic," Kishore Shrestha, editor of the Nepalese weekly Jana Aastha, told AFP.

"The king leaving the main palace would be a way for all sides to save face."

Nepal's fiercely republican Maoists signed up for peace in 2006 after a decade of civil war that killed at least 13,000 people.

They are set to lead a new government after they emerged as the largest party in April 10 elections for the new assembly.

Nepal's King Gyanendra ascended to the throne in 2001 when his drink- and drug-fuelled nephew, Crown Prince Dipendra, massacred the former king and most of the royal family at the palace.

Kozhikode, May 22 (IANS) Fringe political groups in Kerala with radical leanings have overcome their differences to forge a movement against “state terror”. At a convention Tuesday, which brought together organisations like the extreme Left group Parottam and the radical Muslim National Democratic Front (NDF), delegates called for resistance against state terror on Maoists and Muslims.

“Our effort is to enlighten people about citizens’ rights. The arrest of P. Govindankutty (editor of a Maoist publication) has created an atmosphere favourable to such an initiative in the state,” M.N. Ravunni, general convenor of Porattom, told IANS.

Govindankutty, editor of the Maoist publication People’s March, was arrested December 2007 in Kochi and went on a month-long hunger strike in prison.

“The new platform is an informal grouping with only issue based agenda. The committee that was formed for the convention has now been disbanded and we have an informal arrangement for holding consultations with each other,” Ravunni added.

Acknowledging that it was an unlikely alliance, brought together by an abhorrence of “the upper caste ruling elite, forces of Hindutva and imperialism who have the agenda of hunting down Maoists and Muslims”, Ravunni said: “A lot of complexities are involved in this coming together.”

Added P. Koya, supreme council member of the NDF: “We are for issue based involvement. This is for upholding human rights and to stop the fascists.”

Bhubaneswar (Orissa):Outlawed CPI (Maoists) on Thursday called a three-day long down to dusk bandh in Malkangiri district under the South-Western Police range in protest against the killing of their two Comrades on May 16 by the Special Operation Group Jawans.

Roads in Motu, Kalimela, Beijingguda, MV-79, MV-99, Balimela, Chitrakonda, MV-70 and several others major locations of the districts wore deserted look with locals preferred to stay in their homes fearing land mine blasts and grenade attack on them by the rebels.

The leftwing guerrillas have posted banners and distributing leaflets asking locals to support their bandh call and remained house arrest.

"The May 16 police encounter was illegal and unconstitutional," a banner pasted in Motu area of the district reads, highly placed police sources told over phone. The poster further slammed the police excess on their cadres and combing operations being jointly carried by the Orissa Police and CRPF Jawans under the elite Special Operation Group.

"The outlawed leftwing rebels have blocked roads to Kalimela, Chitrakonda, Orkel and several other block headquarters protesting killing of their two Comrades," Malkangiri SP Satish K Gajbhiye told www.odishatoday.com over phone.

It may be noted here that acting on a tip-off, a joint team of the elite Special Operation Group (SOG) Jawans and district police raided a training camp of the ultras in the forest of Tamkelguda, about 110 km from Malkangiri districts headquarters town and gun down two rebels after an hour-long fierce gun battle while the rest managed to escape. Later two rifles, a grenade and a kit bag were recovered from the site.

Southern-most District, Malkangiri shares its southern and eastern borders with Visakhapatnam, East Godavari and Khammam Districts of Andhra Pradesh, while in the west it is bordered by Chhattisgarh's Bastar District. Only its northern border retains a link with the State through the Koraput District.

Nearly 52 percent of the District is forested. The hilly terrain of the Eastern Ghats and the dense forests running through the District accentuate its remoteness and inaccessibility, which helps the rebels to run away successfully after attacking on villagers.

Orissa had a large number of small population villages, particularly in tribal dominated districts. Maoists were taking advantage in tribal dominated districts due to certain gaps in the schemes.

Meanwhile, the bandh call assumes significance as the rebels have killed more than 16 villagers in the districts in last month suspecting them as police informers.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's Maoist rebels are on a drive to recruit thousands of child soldiers in the country's poor rural heartlands, police and human rights agencies say, sometimes by force.

The rebels are making parents of poor families in east and central India hand over their children, aged mostly between 10-15 years, with promises of food and a better life in camps, they said, in some cases taking the children without consent.

"The Maoists are recruiting very small children in rural areas and the government is not doing anything about it, which is very disturbing," Meha Dixit, an activist with Amnesty International, said in New Delhi.

The Maoists have plans to recruit over 10,000 child soldiers from a few hundred now in east and central India, officials said, in an effort to strengthen their militant youth wing and influence in the heartlands.

On Tuesday, at least 20 children recruited by Maoists were arrested by police in Bihar.

"We heard that Maoists were recruiting children for their operation at a training camp and to our surprise we found a large number of teenage boys there," Vinay Kumar, a senior police officer, told Reuters in Bihar.

The rebels, who regularly kill policemen, and attack government establishments and factories in a large swathe of eastern and central India, say they are fighting the government on behalf of the poor and landless.

Human rights groups and police say the Maoists teach children to use weapons and to be informers.

"The Maoists are using children for their own purpose by recruiting them, but it is their age to read and play," said Ranjan Mohanty of the Campaign against Child Labour.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the four-decade-old Maoist rebellion as the single biggest threat to India's internal security. It has killed thousands of people.

SOPHISTICATED WEAPONS

In Chhattisgarh, insurgents were recruiting dozens of children in the 12-15 year age group to boost numbers in a Maoist youth wing, police and NGO workers said.

By Ratnakar Dash Malkangiri (Orissa), May 22: Normal life was badly affected in most parts of this tribal-dominated backward district on Thursday as vehicles remained off the road in the wake of a three-day bandh called by the outlawed Communist Party of India(Maoist).

The Maoists have called for a three-day Orissa bandh to register their protest against the killing of two of their activists in police encounter near Tankelguda village under Motu police station area of the district on May 16.

Many areas in Korukonda. Kalimela, Padia, Chitrakonda and Motu areas remained cut off from this district headquarter town since morning as the Maoists had blocked the road by placing boulders and felling trees.

In many places, the extremists had dug up the roads making it impossible for the big vehicles to proceed further from this town.

Several long distances passenger buses from Bhubaneswar and other places were stranded at Malkangiri town as they could not move towards their destinations.

The Maoists had put up large banners and posters at many locations asking people to oppose police for killing innocent people in the name of controlling extremism.

A banner was found hanged on one of the gates of the Korukonda Block office, just 15 km away from the district headquarter town. The Maoists had reportedly displayed the banners and posters and blocked the roads around midnight.

District Superintendent of Police Satish Kumar Gajbhiye said police were taking measures to clear the road blockades on the State highway No. 25 to make big vehicles ply in the bandh-hit areas.

The bandh was peaceful and no untoward incident was reported from any part of the district till the afternoon, police said.

The bandh, however, had no effect in the adjoining Maoists-infested districts of Koraput and Rayagada till afternoon.

Udupi May 22: The Superintendent of Police, Devajyothi Ray, said on Wednesday that a Special Investigation Team had been set up under the Deputy Superintendent of Police S. Girish to investigate the killing of Bhoja Shetty and Suresh Shetty, which took place at Sitanadi village on May 15, allegedly by suspected naxalites.

Mr. Ray said here that the SIT would work under his close supervision.

The Inspector-General of Police (Western range) A.M. Prasad has announced a reward of Rs. 25,000 for information regarding the killing.

The identity of the informers will not be divulged. Anybody, including Government officials and presspersons, could provide information, he said. The bullets and other clues found at the spot of the crime were sent to ballistic experts at Bangalore. A sophisticated weapon is said to have been used in the murder of both Bhoja and Suresh. The police had found Maoist literature at the scene of the crime.

He said that the leader of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) Gangadhar had reportedly claimed that the murder was carried out by People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army.

But local involvement in this murder cannot be ruled out. It was a complicated case which would take some time to crack, Mr. Ray said.

KHAMMAM: STRIKING terror into the hearts of tribals on the Andhra-Chhattisgarh border, Maoists killed four of the six tribals they had kidnapped three days ago from Kurnapalli and Battenapalli villages in the district.

Though bodies have not yet been found, locals, who ventured into forests, ‘received’ information of the killings. Among those kidnapped are Kurnapalli sarpanch and CPM activist K Narsaiah, K Kannaiah of the same village, S Rambabu and S Venkataramana from Battenapalli. They are all activists of either the CPI or the CPM.The Naxalites have ‘picked up’ dozens of tribals from the border villages in the past few weeks to nail down ‘traitors’ who they hold responsible for the Kanchala encounter under Pamedu police station limits in which 19 of their comrades were killed two months ago.

Local mediapersons went into the forests to trace the bodies of Narsaiah and three others, but they stopped at R Kothagudem village in Charla mandal following a warning from the Naxalites.

The Maoists started kidnapping tribals three weeks after the Kanchala encounter.

Growth feeds democracy — this is the essence of the strategy of inclusive growth, in contrast to the conventional wisdom on the Left that growth and prosperity are achieved by preying upon the common people. A recent expert group report on Naxalite violence submitted to the Planning Commission echoes the philosophy of inclusive growth. This is welcome.

But the report presents development essentially as an administrative task, to be carried out by the government through wise policy, sound planning, enlightened legislation and honest implementation. What this leaves out is the political essence of the process of development.

The Planning Commission appointed a 17-member committee, including three former police chiefs and senior administrators, along with social scientists and human rights activists, to submit a report on development challenges in extremist-affected areas.

The committee’s report is available on the Planning Commission’s website. The report calls for departing from a security-centric view of tackling naxalite violence. This is a refreshing break from the mainstream approach to the problem. However, the report can be faulted for not offering a radical enough vision of what is possible when it comes to emancipation of the oppressed. The fault, in turn, stems from inadequate appreciation of the changes that globalisation has heralded and its immense potential to change lives for the better, particularly for those at the bottom of the economic hierarchy. One crucial change is that the world is awash with savings. Investible resources are available in plenty. What is scarce is availability of profitable avenues for their deployment — the sub-prime crisis shows what happens when unregulated greed mediates the mismatch between bounteous supplies of capital and a paucity of sensible investment opportunities.

And one consequence of this abundance of investible resources is that primitive accumulation of capital, through dispossession and loot, is no longer necessary for businesses to commence and flourish. Try telling the farmers of Singur or the those being evicted from their land for the Posco project this nice story about the historical obsolescence of primitive accumulation of capital, some might sneer. True, dispossession and loot do often take place, but these are far from necessary today.

Another facet of globalised growth that needs to be fully internalised in development thought is its enormous potential for wealth creation, provided people are integrated into the global production process.

Following from this is the need to carry out enormous, sustained research into strategies of creating proactive roles for the rural poor in the process of urbanisation and industrialisation.

The simple point is that it is not enough to give those displaced by new projects from their traditional land and occupations a package of relief and rehabilitation based on the current market value of the land they lose or occupations they give up.

That land use will change extensively across India has to be accepted and welcomed, if India is to build the new roads, railways towns, factories, mines, power plants, ports and airports that would create new prosperity. Millions of people will be uprooted from their traditional habitats, physical as well as economic. It is not enough to offer them ‘compensation’ linked to the current market value of what they lose. Those categorised today as ‘project-affected’ must be transformed into stakeholders in the project. This calls for concerted efforts in skills creation, creating new companies or cooperatives of the ‘project-affected’ to carry out essential services for the new project such as transportation services, construction, maintenance, etc.

But all this cannot happen, merely on account of enlightened policy. The first precondition for any pro-poor policy to work is political mobilisation of the poor, so that they have agency, a sense of entitlement and the will to enforce their rights. This cannot come from government schemes or better planning or honest administrators. Voluntary organisations can help. But there is no substitute for the intervention of a political party with the right vision, when it comes to political mobilisation.

Even today, we read reports of six-year-old girls being thrown into the fire for the crime of overstepping their Dalit boundaries and daring to walk on a road frequented by upper caste Thakurs. Scheduled caste panchayat presidents dare not assume office in some parts of the country. Tribal people are cheated, their lands are sold, they themselves are sold by their social superiors. Such violence and oppression feed the naxalite movement in this country.

Policing can tackle the core activists who preach and practise violence as the only solution. But unless redemptive politics removes the grounds for rural violence, mere policing will only breed more violence.

Nagpur, May 22 (IANS) Five Maoist guerrillas were arrested Thursday from village Kosmi in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, a police official said. A cache of arms and explosives was recovered from the Maoists, the police said.

A team of 40 police constables, belonging to the anti-Naxalite Operations (ANO) wing, arrested the five Maoist rebels after encircling the tiny village in the Gyara Patti area, about 85 km from Gadchiroli, which is about 220 km from Nagpur, near the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border, police public relations officer T.G. Deshmukh told IANS.

“Based on intelligence that Maoists were camping in the village, the police laid siege around it and challenged them to come out,” she said adding that the Maoist guerrillas opened fire and the police personnel retaliated.

“When the Maoists, some of them injured, tried to flee, the police gave chase and nabbed five of them,” she said.

The police gathered information about the Maoists after the rebels Sunday attacked a police constable’s house in village Hiranje and looted food grain, she said.

The names of the arrested Maoists, their position in the banned outfit and details of the seizure were not immediately available.

Jamui, May 21: A joint team of district police and Special Task Force arrested 80 Naxalites from Jamui district in Bihar late last evening.

The police also claimed that they had “foiled” plans of possible future attacks, though they failed to arrest self-styled Maoist zonal commander Kundan Da.

Out of the 80 rebels, there are a few “heavyweights” who were allegedly held from the Khaira forest area.

While Jamui superintendent of police Vinay Kumar said 98 people were arrested, of which 95 were confirmed Naxalites, after interrogation the number came down to 80, that included 15 women.

Inspector-general (operations) S.K. Bhardwaj also concurred in the figures and said the arrests were made while the cadre were being trained at a makeshift camp deep in the Khaira forests, some 200km from Patna. Bhardwaj explained the joint operation was conducted with a “surge” in rebel activities in Jamui with five railway policemen being killed in Jhajha railway station on April 13.

Kumar, who was part of the combing team, said 150 people were detained during the raid and were later released after interrogation. One Prakash Das, who is suspected to be involved in the murder of former Munger superintendent of police K. Surendrababu, was also arrested last night.

Bhardwaj explained the police had chalked out strategies to raid possible Naxalite hideouts, mostly located in the hills and jungles near Munger and Jamui. The STF has and would be co-ordinating with the police in Gaya, Jehanabad, Aurangabad, Jamui, Sitamarhi and Muzaffarpur during the combing operations.

Police sources report that interrogations have exposed six to seven training camps that were being run undercover in the dense forests, where newly recruited cadre were usually taken.

“Zonal commander Kundan Da had arrived in Debudehi to address a public meeting and other leaders had also followed when the police conducted the raid,” admitted an officer on condition of anonymity.

The police recovered Naxalite literature, posters and handbills, microphone sets, one generator set and CDs during the raid. But no arms or ammunitions were seized as Kundan Da allegedly managed to escape with the arms.

The police have also blamed villagers for “making it easy” for the rebels to escape.

The raids, at least the planning for it, started in the morning when the police received a tip-off that armed rebel squads had been spotted near Magobanda village under Khaira police stations. In the evening police teams surrounded the village but failed to arrest anyone there.

Allegedly, Jamui MLA Abhay Kumar was also present at the village attending a ceremony.

Deputy inspector-general of police (Munger) Monohar Prasad said that the rebels had assembled to address a meeting there under the banned outfit — Bidi Majdoor Sangharsh Samiti. Prasad said the police’s prompt action prevented some “major untoward incidents” in the area. Jhajha circle inspector Mohammed Shahid Akhtar said the rebels had forced villagers to attend the meeting.

“Sono and Batiya valley are is fast becoming a safe zones for Naxalites. Before planning any big hit, rebels assemble here and hold meetings,” said an officer of the intelligence bureau.

1. Reports have appeared in a section of the media on the subject of identification and deportation of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Reference has also been made in these reports to correspondence between the Central and the State Governments on this issue and, in this context, some directions said to have been issued by the Central Government to a particular State Government to round up immigrants and put them in transit camps have also been mentioned. Since such reports can lead to unnecessary confusion, it is clarified that the issue of identification and deportation of illegal immigrants is a continuing process and is dealt with as per the provisions of the Foreigners Act, 1946. This, inter alia, provides for detection of foreigners staying illegally in the country and, issue of directions to restrict their movements and for their detention and deportation. Powers under the Act, relating to these provisions, were delegated to the State Governments as far back as 1958. The State Governments are taking action as per the provisions of the law on a continuing basis. Instructions have also been reiterated, from time to time, to all State Governments/Union Territory Administrations in this respect.

2. In the context of a petition filed in the High Court of Delhi, regarding the detection and deportation of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, and the orders of the Court thereon, a Nodal Authority under the Union Home Secretary had been constituted to monitor the action taken in this regard. With reference to these Court orders, meetings of the Nodal Authority have been held with the officials of the Government of Delhi, the States in the NCR region and the border States contiguous to Bangladesh. In this context, the need for systematic action for detection, detention and deportation of illegal immigrants has been emphasized. With reference to a particular letter said to have been written by the Government of Rajasthan in which certain problems had been mentioned, they had been advised to depute officers for consultations with the concerned authorities in Delhi by way of guidance, and no directions, as has been suggested in the reports, were issued.

3. Selective references have also been made to some alleged directions given in a meeting held on April 25, 2007 which, incidentally are factually incorrect. What had, however, been stressed in these meetings was not only to take systematic action for detection and deportation of illegal immigrants, but also to take multi-faceted measures to prevent illegal immigration into the country.

4. Further, in the context of these reports, mention has also been made about the need for the Prime Minister to immediately convene a meeting of the Chief Ministers on Internal Security. It is informed that over the last 4 years, regular meetings of Chief Ministers on Internal Security have been held, under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister, the last of which was held on 20th December, 2007. On this occasion, separate meetings were also held with the Chief Ministers to specifically discuss issues relating to terrorism and Naxalite violence. Besides this, meetings of the Zonal Councils have been regularly held under the chairmanship of the Union Home Minister in a number of which the primary focus was on issues relating to internal security. The Central Government has, at all stages, sought to ensure close coordination with the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations in dealing with issues relating to internal security including terrorism, and has extended the fullest support and assistance to them from time to time. Simultaneously, emphasis has been laid on augmentation, capacity building and upgradation of the State Police Forces and the related infrastructure, and assistance has been provided for this through a variety of schemes and initiatives.

Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu), May 22: V.K. Joshi, Director General of Central Police Reserve Force (CRPF) has stressed on the need for imparting specialised training to security personnel to counter Maoists operating in the country. Joshi urged for specific training to be imparted to security personnel keeping in mind the modus operandi of the Maoists, which would enable them the security forces to deal with the Maoists in a more effective manner.

"If we have to go for anti-Naxalite operation, then the training that is required is of a specific type. That training has to be imparted to the officers, to the men in a particular way. The training will have to take into consideration, the areas where Naxals are operating, the type of weapons they are using, the type of explosives they are using, so we plan to have this institute to cater to the needs of the force, so that we can specialize in anti-Naxal operations,"said Joshi.

58 incidents were reported till February this year. In the 15 encounters, 19 extremists killed.

Jharkhand is one of the worst hit 13 states of the country's 29 states where Maoists have a presence.

Maoists claim they are fighting for the rights of poor peasants and landless labourers and routinely call for strikes, attack government property and target local politicians.

Victory of Maoists in Nepal has two reactions in India. One which portray this victory as an opportunity for Indian government to pursue Nexalites in India to join mainstream and follow the path of their Nepali counterpart.

According to second reaction victory of Maoists in Nepal is going to deteriorate the security interests of Indian and Indian government should work hard to crush Maoist insurgency in Nepal as well preventing Maoists to make king of Nepal irrelevant in political context.

The most dangerous sign which people in Indian media have shown is that they are pleading for Maoists and it has some serious implications as well reasons. Indian media in general and print in particular has dominance of people who are indoctrinated with Leftist ideology and most of them were activists of Left in their college period. They belong to that period when Marxism was fashion for intellectuals and college campuses were full of these people. In India since 1989 social and political change took place. After Economic reform was initiated and some drastic changes came in existence at economic level it has some impact on society as well. In the mean time surgence of Hindu forces was witnessed and leftist ideology sidelined.

After demolition of Babri structure in Ayodhya in 1992 leftists collaborated with several anti Hindu forces in the name of secularism and in this composition they don't have more say but were surviving in any way.

After 2000 situation has changed to some extent and social division of have's and have's not has come in debate again and it has given a chance to leftist to curse American policies as well some agencies as responsible for all this. In Indian context this development is very important because social disparity has created a vacuum in society and provided an opportunity for any organization to woo have-not’s to their side and Naxalites in India exploited this situation in very shrewd manner. They are active in remote part of India which is very poor, illiterate and geographically scattered and made of hills and forests. Because of its geographical conditions these areas are very much terrorism prone.

Two years back I journeyed one of Naxal effected area named Chhatisgarh and met with some Naxalites. They have clear edge on security forces because of geographical structure but most important thing is that Naxalites working on parallel political and social system. They have their own school in which they not only teach children of tribal but also give financial assistance to their parents. I have a chance to visit their schools also they have their text books and these text books teach that Hindus in India are in alliance with imperialistic America and we have to fight both communal and imperialistic forces because both are two faces of same coin. They talk about a new world order where there will be no disparity and there is equality. They also publish a magazine called Mukti Maarg [way of salvation]. In this magazine they have mobilized those writers and acamecians who have left inclination. Islamists also talk of new world order based on Qur’an and shriyat and both ideologies support repression and violence to achieve their goal.

This theme has also been adopted by Islamists in India against Hindu forces as well as America. This is a common point where Islamists and leftists in India come close to each other. After victory of Maoists in Nepal left academia and establishment in Indian see a chance of resurgence of communism in global perspective and this is the reason why they are pursuing Indian people and government to hail the victory of Maoists and take it as a golden opportunity to take Naxalites back in mainstream.

I want to draw your attention on one more important point about which nobody has discussed but it has serious implications on both India and America. In India leftists have very limited electoral appeal and they are confined to only three states West Bengal, Keral and Tripura and in other states their presence is negligible. In new scenario they are thinking about their resurgence with help of Naxalites. Naxalites have big presence in more than 100 districts of India with states, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal, TamilNadu, Jharkhnd, Chhatisgarh, Andhra Pradesh. In these states they have more influence in some pockets. When two years back I visited Chhatisgarh and met with some Naxalites and their sympathizers I was told to have a close look on the developments of Nepal and told me about their plan that when they would be able to brought down system of Nepal and construct it with their plan they will sharpen their movement in India. These sympathizers of Naxalites are almost activists of Communists parties in India and with support of Naxalites and intimidation these sympathizers have a plan to broaden the electoral power of Communists in India.

As earlier I said growth of Naxalites in India have some effect on America also. After 911 we have witnessed several left ideologues overtly supporting Islamists but in India new nexus is building and leftists and Islamists have common enemy in India in the name of Hindu and America. If this nexus will get strength in India and south Asia finally it would damage America and West as well.

Four years back In India there were several people in Media with liberal-left inclination who were saying that Al Qaeda has launched a war against America and India has not to worry because Osama Bin Laden has said nothing against India. It was mischievous misrepresentation of facts. These are the people who want to see the victory of communist ideology at any cost and even they don't hesitate to make an alliance with Islamists for this cause. Victory of Maoists in Nepal has emboldened leftists in India and they are dreaming of the resurgence of communism.

To counter this growing trend we have to take some initiatives. A parallel nationalist socialist movement should be promoted in India to fill the vacuum of dissatisfied people which ultimately culminates in strong anti imperialistic movement. Once nationalist socialist movement will take place Naxalites have no chance to woo dissatisfied people to their side. This is also true with Chinese hegemony in Asia. Coalition government in India of Congress and Left have some common agenda and congress is eyeing for next 10 years to stay in power. President of Congress Party Mrs Sonia Gandhi grooming her son Rahul Gandhi to hold the post of premiership for next 10 years. To make this happen Congress has to rely heavily on Left parties and this is why congress has adopted the policy of submission to leftists and Islamist. In this situation Indian government in near future is going to embolden the Islamist and leftist forces.

Taking into account the global scenario Indian and American interest has become very much common at least at strategic level. Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and China could come close with a block in near future and it would have security implications for India. Nexus of Red green alliance as Dr Richard Benkin has predicted could become reality in South Asia. To prevent this India and America should come together and America should consider Hindu nationalists as their ally.

Statesman News ServicePATNA/RANCHI, May 21: As many as 97 Maoists, some of them top leaders, were arrested in a major swoop by the police in Jamui district of Bihar late last evening. Among the arrested are 75 males and 22 females, two of them with babies. The Maoists were holding a training camp in the forest area.The police seized generator sets, other equipment and huge quantity of naxal literature. Initially some 200 people were rounded up but many were freed after verification.Police said, on a tip-off that a large number of Maoists have gathered in the forest and were holding a training camp, a huge police force was rushed to the spot. Seeing the police, the Maoists started fleeing but by then police had surrounded them and arrested many of them. Still, many top-ranking Maoists managed to flee. A suspected Maoist operative was also arrested from the Jailhatta area of Daltonganj in Jharkhand with a detailed map of the Daltonganj prison.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Kolkata, May 20 The security in the three Maoist-dominated districts of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia has been tightened for the counting of votes which gets underway tomorrow. According to the senior police officers, additional forces would be deployed in the affected regions. The poll personnel indicated that they would prefer counting to be completed before the nightfall.

While the paramilitary contingent had been withdrawn, a total of 1,600 state police personnel would be deployed on counting day. “We have deployed adequate forces at the polling centers apart from squads for patrolling. We are keeping a watch on Maoist activity,” said Purulia SP Ashok Prasad.

Since the day of election on May 11, when Maoists blew up a BSF truck on poll duty in Bandwan block, killing one and injuring eight jawans, suspected ultras have struck twice in Purulia.

On May 12, they struck at Biramdi railway station, where they looted money and locked up the railway staff. Also, three days back, another group suspected to be Maoists, attacked a camp of construction workers in Balarampur block and set ablaze three dumper trucks and one JCB. They also left leaflets saying that the attack is the result of the indiscriminate use of machinery, which was robbing the unemployed of jobs.

IGP (law & order) Raj Kanojia, however, said that the attack on the construction camp in Balarampur looked more like the handiwork of local extortionists.

“The guns they were carrying were very crude, and the leaflets that they left behind were not like those usually attributed to Maoists. We have deployed extra forces in all the affected areas in the three Maoist-hit districts. We will be resorting to a two-tier security cordon at the booths to prevent disruption by miscreants,” said Kanojia.

In the run-up to the election, Maoist posters threatening violence had warned people not to participate in the polls. Also, two prominent CPM leaders had been shot dead by Maoists in Bandwan and Arsa blocks in the week preceding the elections.

While the turnout for Purulia had been low overall, the five affected police station areas of Bandwan, Balarampur, Barabazar, Arsa and Bagmundi had seen only 45 per cent turnout, as fear of a Maoist backlash had kept voters away from the polling centers.

In five affected blocks of Purulia, 96 booths had been designated super-sensitive while 197 centers had been declared sensitive. Sources said over 4,200 counting personnel would be pressed into service and counting tables would also be increased for tomorrow’s counting with at least 80 security personnel at each of the 20 counting centers.

KATHMANDU: The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) finds itself in an increasingly awkward position and faces backlash over the death of a businessman who was abducted and later killed in a Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA) cantonment in Chitwan a week ago.

Ram Hari Shrestha (35) was abducted and killed in the PLA’s Shaktikhor Cantonment in Chitwan, said Shrestha’s family members. His body was thrown in the Narayani River, they added. As the family members, local residents and various student organisations resorted to protests, Maoists’ chief Prachanda, on May 18, issued a statement saying Shrestha was killed by “selfish” individuals who had infiltrated the party. He, however, said the Maoists and PLA had no hand in the killing.

The United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), which monitors Maoists’ armies in seven cantonments across the country, issued a rebuttal to Mr. Prachanda’s claim. Its statement said: “PLA commanders have acknowledged to UNMIN that members of the Maoist Army had committed the crime.” The UNMIN also said the Maoists breached their commitment and asked the leadership “to fully cooperate with the police to ensure that all those responsible for ordering or carrying out the abduction or killing are apprehended and punished in accordance with the law.”

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Nepal has already begun investigating the incident. A Struggle Committee formed by locals has announced a general strike in Kathmandu Valley on Wednesday. Various student organisations and rights groups have supported the strike. The committee also demanded formation of a high-level probe commission to investigate into the incident—something that Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has already promised to do.

Mr. Kham’s family was Shrestha’s tenant in Koteshwor, Kathamndu. Shrestha was abducted to “investigate” a theft at Mr. Kham’s apartment a while back.

Shrestha’s family said after the abduction, Mr. Kham had warned them against informing the police. Since Shrestha’s family members support the Maoists and had a good rapport with the top Maoist leadership, they met Mr. Prachanda on May 14 and sought his help. “Prachanda had assured us [that] Bivid would bring my husband safe and sound to my house the next day,” said Ramila Shrestha, Shrestha’s wife. Instead, Mr. Kham informed the family on May 16 that Shrestha died due to beating during the course of the investigation. In a statement, Mr. Kham said those who killed Shrestha were absconding.

The timing of this incident could not have been worse for the Maoists. Having emerged as the largest party in the Constituent Assembly election, they are slated to lead the next collation government. But major political parties have set various preconditions to extend their support.

They have questioned the Maoists’ democratic credentials and commitment to rule of law and human rights.

Statesman News ServiceJAGATSINGHPUR May 20: Erasama police handed over Prasant Rout, a Maoist cadre who had surrendered yesterday to the Bhuabaneswar police for further investigation.Rout was engaged in teaching Oriya to non Oriya Naxals at training camps in Jharkhand, Bihar and other states. Police interrogation of Rout has reportedly led to inputs on the Maoist network in Jagatsignhpur and other districts.It is revealed that before the major Maoist strike at Nayagarh where two armouries were looted, a training camp was held at Gashama forests and Kalinga hill where the cadre from Chatisgarh, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh took part. Some of them were taught Oriya lanuage to enable them to mingle with local people. Rout was involved in the camp and training activity.Besides Rout, four other Maoist sympathizers of Gobindpur village have also surrendered. During, interrogation, Rout has given important information about the Nayagarh attack on 15 February. Rout had completed Bsc from SVM College, Jagatsignhpur in 2004. He was lured to the Maoist fold by a woman cadre named Krishna.He is reported to have told the police that the Naragarh attack had shocked him and since then he had decided to surrender. Initially some of the Maoists dissuaded him from surrender but subsequently they relented and he returned to his village on 4 May. He surrendered yesterday.District superintendent police, Mr RK Shrama, circle inspector Mr Sashisekhar Mohapatra and other officials interrogated Rout. The information received from Rout has been provided to the Bhubaneswar police for further probe, said police sources here.

Bhubaneswar (Orissa):The outlawed CPI (Maoists) cadres have warned villagers of Malkangiri not to receive any compensation on Maoists violence, which is being given by the State Government. This came to light after one of the deceased family denied to accept a compensation following threat issued by the leftwing guerillas.

According to a true story accessed by www.odishatoday.com , one day, a group of people came to house of Bhima Joga( name changed), a headman of a tribal village during night and informed him that they belong to CPI (Maoist) Party. They asked for food and shelter while Bhima arranged for food and shelter for them with the help of villagers.

Since then, Maoists started visiting the village regularly and intervening in the village disputes and imposing heavy fines on 'guilty'. This fine went to various funds run by the Maoists.

Gradually, Maoists imposed their dominancy on villagers, when Bhima protested, Maoists hauled him and beaten up.

One day, a senior Maoists leader arrested near his village. Few days after other Maoists cadres visited the village and beaten each and everyone in the village. While the village head Bhima again protested, they dragged him out of village and killed him. Next day villagers found dead body of Bima at adjacent foot hills.

A week later, local Police Station OIC summoned Bhima's son Sukuta( name changed) and asked him the reason for not claiming an amount of Rs 2 lakh given to kin of diseased in Maoist violence. The Inspector also informed him that the District superintendent of Police is desirous of giving the aid. Sukuta bluntly told the Inspector that he will not claim the amount, as the Maoists have warned him to give the entire amount received from the Government to 'party fund' or else he would be killed.

Meanwhile, a month later, Sukuta arranged a condolence meet in memory of his father. Surprisingly, during the meet, he noticed the same Maoists in the village, who had killed his father. Their leader came to Sukta and introduced himself as Binu Kawasi and asked if some help is needed. He told that Maoists had not killed his father. But, Police in disguise of Maoists had killed his father.

After two months, he heard that so called Binu Kawasi was arrested by the Police. Trial began in the court. One day before Sukuta's evidence before the court, a group of Maoists came to Sukuta's home and asked him to tell the court that his father died due to disease or else he and his brother shall be put to death. Next day, Sukuta did the same and the dreaded Maoist was set free.

Sukuta's nightmare continues till the local BDO came to his village to allot contract of NREGS road to villagers through Palli Sabha. Sukuta also got a piece of work amounting to Rs. 5,000. But, that night he received the message from Maoists that he must attend their meeting next day. All the persons who got the road contract were summoned in the meeting.

The Maoists hauled the contractors for doing Government work and informed that their Government will come soon and then only roads could be constructed. They cited the recent developments in Himalayan Kingdom and success in Nayagarh operation. Then, they set a 'praja court, where they imposed fine of Rs. 5000 on each, who had bagged the road contract. Once again, Sukuta is running for life.

The latest news is that he has taken shelter in one of the 'Salwa Judum' Camps in Chhattisgarh.

Raipur, May 21 (IANS) Maoist guerrillas killed two tribals, employed as special police officers (SPOs) by the government, in the southern region of Chhattisgarh, the police said Wednesday. “Two bodies were found at a roadside in a forested stretch in Narayanpur district Wednesday morning. Maoists probably killed them overnight and dumped their bodies early morning,” Pawan Deo, deputy inspector general of Kanker range, told IANS by phone.

He said the SPOs, both in their mid-twenties, were found with their throats slit.

The Chhattisgarh government has recruited nearly 4,500 youths in the Bastar region as SPOs at a monthly remuneration of Rs.1,500 to team up with the police and para-military troopers to fight the Maoists.

Pramod Mishra teaches warfare tactics at a meeting of the Naxalites barely a fortnight before his arrest in Dhanbad. Telegraph pictureBokaro/Dhanbad, May 20: Top Naxalite leader Pramod Mishra admitted during interrogation that the January 2005 killing of CPI (ML) MLA Mahendra Singh was a local-level “initiative” which their “central leadership did not “appreciate”.

The No. 2 man in the rebel hierarchy, who was being questioned by a team of senior police officers in Ranchi as well as Dhanbad over the weekend, is said to have agreed to suggestions that Singh’s killing was a result of some “confusion” in the rank and file of the Maoists at the local and central levels.

Mishra’s statement, made amid bouts of raging anger and earnest pleadings, brings to rest speculation on the extent of rebels’ involvement in the murder as confessions of those arrested have been varied. The CBI is probing the incident.

Singh’s wife had lodged an FIR accusing former Giridih superintendent of police Deepak Verma and Dhanwar MLA Ravindra Rai as the masterminds behind the killing. But a diary recovered in West Singhbhum revealed a Maoists’ link to the plot.

“The CBI has failed to unravel the nexus between the assailants and his political rivals even three years after it was handed over the case,” Singh’s son and CPI (ML) MLA Vinod said in Ranchi.

According to an IPS officer present during Mishra’s questioning, he also spoke about the killing of Jamshedpur parliamentarian Sunil Mahto, but ended up confirming what was widely known: Mahto was killed after both the Maoists’ central and regional committees agreed he was “becoming a big hurdle for the organisation (Maoists).”

“Sunil Mahto had turned corrupt and had joined hands with our enemies and so was given the death penalty,” Mishra was quoted by a senior police officer — present during questioning — as saying.

But when questions centred on his son Sudhir, Mishra became emotional, pleading with the police not to torture him as he was ready to answer all their questions.

But the moment the questions turned to Maoists and their organisation, he became belligerent and angry. When a police officer chided him for working to create a rift in society, Mishra is said to have dared him to face “the challenge from his organisation which would seize power through the barrel of the gun”.

By next week, Mishra is expected to be taken into custody by the Bihar police.

Bihar inspector-general of police (operations) S.K. Bharadwaj said they planned to send him to Hyderabad for a narco-analysis test once they got custody.

Rout, involved in Maoist activities, was engaged to teach Oriya language to non-Oriya Naxals during training camp in Jharkhand, Bihar and other states.

Initial investigation revealed that Rout was not a cadre Maoist because he had not used guns and arms during operations. Before the Naygarh incident, there was a training camp at Gashama jungle near Kalinga hill.

The cadre Maoists from Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh participated in the camp. Even they were taught Oriya language to help them mix well with the local people and Rout was engaged for it. Four other Maoist sympathisers surrendered near Erasama police on Monday.

Rout has completed B Sc from SVM College, Jagatsinghpur in 2004 and was giving tuitions to meet his family needs when he was noticed by woman Maoist Krishna. She took him along to Samabalpur and Bargarh in the last six months where he used to teach Oriya to Naxals.

Two months before the Nayagarh incident, he joined the traning camp of Maoists at Gashama jungle and taught Oriya language to non-Oriya Naxals. But he decided to leave the Naxals after the Nayagarh incident.

After getting permission from the Maoist leader, he came to his village with an agreement on last May 4 and decided to surrender.

Hyderabad (PTI): Campaigning for the May 29 by-elections to four Lok Sabha and 18 assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh has gained momentum with Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, TDP Chief N Chandrababu Naidu and other top leaders leaving no stone unturned to woo the voters.

Reddy campaigned extensively in Warangal district and listed the developmental works initiated by his government.

"Extremism is on the wane in the Naxal-infested Warangal district because of the massive development that has taken place in the last four years of his government," he said.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi would take a decision on the Telangana statehood issue, the Chief Minister said, keeping in mind the strong demand for separate Telangana that prevails in the region.

Both the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and TDP have no sincerity in demanding separate state, he said.

The bypolls to 16 assembly seats and the four Lok Sabha constituencies were necessitated due to the resignation of sitting TRS members who quit in protest against the UPA government's failure to take steps for the formation of separate Telangana.

TDP Chief Chandrababu Naidu campaigned in Musheerabad constituency in the state capital in favour of CPI(M) nominee S Veeraiah. The TDP and CPI(M) have entered into an electoral understanding for the by-polls.

Naidu lambasted the government for price rise and said his party would provide land to poor for constructing houses.

The TRS leaders too campaigned extensively in Musheerabad, Secunderabad and Khairatabad constituencies in the city.

Reports from Mahabubnagar and other Telangana districts said students of Osmania University campaigned at various places seeking votes for TRS nominees.

KHAMMAM: The fate of six tribals including the sarpanch of Kurnapalli in Charla mandal, who were kidnapped by CPI (Maoist) activists yesterday continued to hang in balance with no information about their safety till this evening.

However, unconfirmed reports said that two of the six kidnapped tribals including the sarpanch K Narsaiah were killed by the Maoists in the forests on Andhra Pradesh-Chhattisgarh border.

On the other hand, many villages of Charla mandal continued to be in the grip of tension and several tribals have started leaving their villages to safer places after the incident. The police have intensified combing operations in the border areas to know about whereabouts of abducted tribals.

Wall posters were pasted on the walls in some villages in Charla mandal in the name of Public Welfare Organisation demanding the Maoists not to harm the kidnapped tribals and release them.

Earlier in the day, CPI State secretary K Narayana urged the Maoists to release the kidnapped tribals, who were his party workers and instead, kill him.

Speaking to reporters, Narayana reminded that it was the CPI which opposed the formation of anti-Naxal organisation ‘Salwa Judum’ in Chhattisgarh and also held a public meeting with 20,000 tribals in Charla mandal last year against the move.

‘‘The kidnapped persons are innocent and belong to Left parties. If you want, you can kill me.

Their kin are worried and the Maoists should release them on humanitarian grounds,’’ he said.

CPM leader and Bhadrachalam MLA Sunnam Rajaiah and other leaders also urged the Maoists to release the tribals.

CHENNAI: A special national task force to tackle the naxalite problem across India is likely to be headed by Tamil Nadu’s additional director general of police (law and order) K Vijayakumar, who was instrumental in eliminating sandalwood smuggler Veerappan, sources here said.

The aim of the task force is to streamline anti-naxal operations across India. The force, according to home ministry sources, will have senior officers from intelligence agencies, central paramilitary forces and state police forces. The ministry has appointed Durgaprasad, a retired police official and expert on naxal issues from Andhra Pradesh, to train the task force personnel. "The details are expected by June," Vijayakumar told TOI.

Vijayakumar, who currently holds additional charge of heading the special task force in Tamil Nadu, has experience in jungle warfare and is a former Army officer. The special task force, originally formed to nab Veerappan, was later employed to fight naxals in the state.

The idea of forming a central task force took shape in December, when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held a meeting with the cMs.

PATNA: In a major swoop, police arrested as many as 45 Maoists in one go while they were undergoing training in a makeshift camp in Khaira forests of Jamui district on Tuesday night.

IG (operations) S K Bhardwaj said that 45 Naxals, including women, were caught in the joint operation of STF and district armed police. Naxal literature and training materials were also seized from their possession.

Sources in the police in Lakhisarai, a neighbouring district of Jamui, however, said that around 150 Naxals were nabbed in the operation.

Following a tip-off, the raid had been organized by Jamui SP Vinay Kumar. On seeing the raiding party, some of the Naxalites managed to escape. Some villagers also got nabbed in the process but they were allowed to go after their identity had been ascertained. The police are interrogating the Naxals at a secluded place.

Of late, Jamui has become a favourite of Maoists who operate in the area at will.

Hebri, May 21: Inspector General of Police A M Prasad has announced a sum of Rs 25,000 for those who would provide any clue pertaining to the killing of two persons near Hebri on May 15.

Speaking to Deccan Herald after visiting the kin of the deceased, Bhoja Shetty and Suresh Shetty, he said that any person with a clue of the killers may contact his cell number (94480-92081) or Udupi Superintendent of Police cell number (94490-45100). “The informers’ identity will not be revealed,” he said and added that the prize amount too will be given secretly.

Stating that a special team has been formed under the leadership of Karkal DySP Girish, he said the team is free to probe or investigate any person at any time.

To a query, he said that there is no concrete clue to prove that naxals have killed the duo. To another query on the reported e-mail confirmation sent by the naxals to the police claiming that they had killed the duo, the IGP said that the police are investigating the origin of mail.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil has once again reminded us what a gutless wonder he has reduced himself to with these shameful remarks on Vasundhara Raje, BJP leader and Rajasthan Chief Minister.

“Perhaps she (Raje) is shaken after the recent blasts and is saying anything that is not true. She should have avoided it (making the statement). She has just exposed her weakness,” Patil said.

If Shivraj Patil has a different take on reality, he should have come out with his version of the facts, laying out the correspondence on paper for the public to see and draw its conclusions.

But Shivraj Patil did not do that and instead resorted to some cheap machismo with snide references to Vasundhara Raje’s gender. Politically this must rank as the biggest blunder the Congress could have made in a State that has historically prided itself on the honor with which women are respected, even if they were wedded to one’s worst enemy. While the Rajasthan Congress must be counting its losses for Shivraj Patil’s misogynist bluster, Offstumped recounts how Patil has rendered the second most important role in the Cabinet virtually impotent.

In September of 2007 Offstumped had chronicled how jobless Shivraj Patil was when he dutifully accompanies Sonia Gandhi on what are essentially party events to provide her with the official Indian Air Force jet that he is entitled to. In fact Offstumped had gone to great lengths to establish how on some of these woman’s events Shivraj Patil was the lone man with no official role to play or anything significant to say or do.

In February this year Shivraj Patil on Karan Thapar’s Devil’s Advocated reminded us of the UPA’s kiss of death to the aam admi with his utter cluelessness in dealing with Maoist Terrorism. That particular interview is particularly enlightening for it not just highlights the dysfunctional nature of the Manmohan Singh Cabinet but it also provides a window into the fascinating mind of Shivraj Patil and the alternate reality it dwells in.

But nothing quite highlights the incredibly incompetent Shivraj Patil than this “item number” penned by Offstumped in response to remarks made by Shivraj Patil on Cross Border Terrorism.

Where she is wily I am gutless

Where she is bossy I am servile

Where she is Sonia I suffer her mania

We are not in the process of blaming each other

We are just trying to understand and complement each other

Where they are Communist I am not enough Statist

Where they are Marxist they reject me for a theist

Where they are Maoist they act as if I dont even exist

We are not in the process of blaming each other

We are just trying to understand and complement each other

Where he is a charmer I am just a starcher

While he gets to don a uniform I normally have no clue-niform

He gets to jail the Chief andÂ I have to hail the Chief now where is the justice

We are not in the process of blaming each other

We are just trying to understand and complement each other

I dont see no infiltration but what do you expect with my myopia

I dont hear no spurt in violence, blame it on the presidential trauma

Dont expect me to deal with their terrorism, I suffer joint mechanism

My Lack of Intelligence is no malady, but Manmohan signed me up for this Institutional remedy

We are not in the process of blaming each other

We are just trying to understand and complement each other

If you are still clueless about who I am they call me Shivraj Patil

I know what is in your mind, how did they discard me for Pratibha Patil

I have not commented on this, I will not comment on this

My leader, my party and my alliance have made a decision

We are not in the process of blaming each other

We are just trying to understand and complement each other

Offstumped Bottomline:Shivraj Patil’s misogynist and chauvinistic remarks on Vasundhara Raje are unacceptable. As the UPA’s number one Item Girl, Shivraj Patil has exposed more than his weakness to remind us of what lies beneath those starched suits. The only question that remains is what fig leaf does he carry to cover his shame on those IAF Flights that he routinely arranges for Sonia Gandhi’s exclusive private use.

Opium fields are commonplace in Afghanistan, but not so in India. So it is natural to feel worried if such a field is busted in India. The unearthing of opium fields in Kishanganj has raised doubts over the security situation in the country.

FOR THE past two decades, Kishanganj district of Bihar has been badly affected by the problem of smuggling, human trafficking and other unlawful activities. Kishanganj’s proximity to Nepal and Bangladesh is the main reason behind these activities. People of India, as well as of Nepal and Bangladesh are involved in such acts. Besides, militants from the neighbouring countries are also taking advantage of the security lapse in the border areas to infiltrate into India. From time to time, the Border Security Force (BSF) and the district police nab the smugglers and the people involved in illegal activities, but the fact is that the local administration is unable to put a permanent hold on these activities.

Last month, during my trip to Kishanganj, I was shocked to hear about the news of opium harvesting in some areas of the district.

Kishanganj police had discovered a five bigha plot of illegal opium cultivation in Simalbari village under the Kishanganj police station. Just few days later, a 50 bigha plot of opium, farmed between two streams of the Mahananda river, was also discovered by the police team headed by DSP Ravish Kumar on the borders of Kishanganj and Purnia districts. According to the police, the opium fields were obscured on the sides by the maize fields. Five landowners believed to be illegal immigrant settlers from Bangladesh owned the fields.

Reports of Simalbari opium catch spread like wildlife and stunned the local residents. In fact, residents feigned ignorance about the opium and said that the same cultivation had been done earlier in the locality in around 15 bighas of land.

The cultivation of opium is punishable under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS). Maoists, Naxalites and illegal immigrants from Nepal and Bangladesh are now targeting the remote areas of Bihar for opium cultivation. Districts of Kishanganj, Purnia, Katihar and Araria have become favourites with opium cultivators due to lack of security and unawareness among the local people. Most of the people in these areas think that opium is a flower, like sunflower or marigold, and is used to extract oil. In fact, the labourers working on the opium fields are also ignorant about the NDPS act. The opium growers offer good wages to the labourers, land owners and people looking after the cultivation. The lure of money makes it immaterial for the local people to ask the growers about the illegal cultivation.

After the raids in Simalbari and the border of Kishanganj and Purnia districts, the police team harvested the opium fields, but the growers are still at large. Police is suspects that there are more opium fields across the districts and the search is still on. As the cultivation of opium is done illegally in the remote areas of the district, there are fair chances that police team might unearth some more fields in the near future.

Of course, the Kishanganj police has achieved a big success in busting the opium fields in the districts, but the illegal cultivation of opium sounds an alarm bell for the future. A possible link between the cultivators and the terrorists cannot be ruled out. As Kishanganj is considered one of the most peaceful regions of the country, opium cultivation is a big threat to the region and the country alike.

The need of the hour is that the state government should appoint special force to nab the growers and raid the other areas where the cultivation is done. The district police also needs to keep their eyes open, because Kishanganj and nearby areas have become an easy target for militants and illegal immigrants from Nepal and Bangladesh.

Violence and bloodshed are integral to politics so far Indian polls are concerned. However, whatever happened in the name of political violence over the past week in West Bengal during the panchayat polls put the state at par with Bihar, a state ridden with violence over caste for decades. For the Marxist, like Maoists in Bihar, it seemed perfectly justifiable to maim and kill for political gains.

That is the only path known to a Marxist to hold on to his political turf or consolidate his party's grip over an area. Adversity or loss, they say, reveals the true colours of a man or a group. In Bengal, CPI (M) is hell bent on continuing its power whether by hook or by crook.

Past week, reports of violence were pouring in from West Bengal. The third and final phase of panchayat polls in West Bengal, which was held on last Sunday proved to be the bloodiest, with at least 16 people dead and dozens of others injured. The elections were marred by bomb attacks and clashes between the ruling CPM, the Congress and the Trinamool Congress. The earlier phases of elections too were not free from violence. While 8 persons were killed in the second phase on May 14 elections, there were incidents of rigging and booth capturing too in the first phase as well. The cycle of poll-related violence proves that the state government failed to make foolproof security arrangements. The manner in which CPM cadres indulged in violence is highly deplorable. Cameramen of the electronic and print media captured vividly CPI(M) activists' and leaders' attempts to rig the polls, including booth capturing, threatening voters and even stamping on ballot papers.

Before and during the just-concluded panchayat polls in Bengal, CPI(M) activists were widely reported to have threatened voters, forced opposition candidates to withdraw from the fray, seized voter ID cards from opposition supporters and activists, captured polling booths, blatantly rigged the elections, bombed houses of opposition activists, attacked and killed men and raped women. All these we did hear or supposed to hear from Bihar, but no all these happened in Bengal just to win the polls and show to the world that Bengal's rural folk were solidly behind the CPI(M). So blatant was the CPI(M)'s game plan to subvert democracy that its local MP, Lakshman Seth, called up the DIG of the para-military force, Alok Raj, and ordered him to confine his men to the barracks.

An hour before the polling began on May 18, 42-year old Bhavesh Mondal was killed when CPI(M) supporters allegedly threw bombs and fired bullets when a dispute occurred over queue formation.

But no, leaders of the party--including the party state secretary, the irascible Biman Bose--tried to project the marauding CPI(M) cadres as criminals. There was no word of condolence or regret from not only Bose, but also Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, a man the rest of India mistakes for a man of culture and sensitivity. But why didn't, for instance, the CM offer a word of condolence to his bereaved cabinet colleague? Because doing so would have amounted to a show of sympathy for a political adversary who had to be defeated by all means. And that would not go down well with the party's militant cadres who had been given the task of wresting control of all areas that the RSP is strong in. The RSP, to the CPI(M), is no different from the Congress or the Trinamool, especially after the junior partner strongly criticized the CPI(M) after events in Singur and Nandigram.

As the bitter fight for the ensuing Assembly elections is likely to intensify further in the coming weeks, there is a need to step up vigilance, tighten security and depoliticise the local administration. The police and the district authorities cannot and should not be allowed to be subservient to the political causes of the ruling CPM. If the officials in charge of election duty behave as the ruling party’s agents and henchmen, the elections will be reduced to a farce and there will be no rule of law. In fact, the MP-DIG spat is a warning signal both for the state government and the Election Commission.

On the eve of panchayat polls, Nandigram has the look of a general election and the feel of a war zone. The flag squads have done their jobs thoroughly: road signs, vehicles, houses are blanketed with party insignia. Ordinarily, panchayat polls are not the most exciting events in the political landscape. Yet the atmosphere here remained heavy with tension and watchfulness.

PARADIP: The efforts of the police to bring Maoists or the sympathisers to the mainstream paid dividends with a Maoist, Prasant Rout of Erasama area, who joined the Maoists in Jharkhand surrendering before Erasama police on Monday.

Earlier, the Maoists operated their base in Balikuda and Erasama by distributing leaflets and wall posters to local youths but police remained a mute spectator to the seizures. Post-Nayagarh incident, Sambalpur police raided Balikuda in which one injured Maoist, Prasant Parida, fled the village while another Mangu Biswal escaped.

Similarly, woman Maoist cadre Manju Muduli alias Rina of Janakeideipur village under Erasama police limits was arrested by Bhanjanagar police for the Nayagarh incident. A team from Jagatsinghpur also went to Bhanjanagar to interrogate Rina and got sufficient clues about the sympathisers in Erasama and Balikuda areas.

Rina pointed out that unemployment and government’s failure to take development programmes to the people has led to more unemployed youths joining Maoists. Police also listed suspected 40 to 50 young Maoist sympathisers and crossed checked these names with Rina during interrogation.District SP R K Sharma adopted innovative methods to bring them to the mainstream. A team met the Maoist sympathisers in the presence of village chief, sarpanch and former sarpanch to convince them of returning to the mainstream.

The strategy worked and on Monday, Rout of Kanjiakana village under Erasama police limits surrendered before Erasama police and tipped the police off about the Maoists operation and their base.

SP Sharma said Rout was part of Maoist activities in Jharkhand area and teaching Oriya to non-Oriya Maoists during training camp. No criminal case has been found against him in this district.

KOLKATA: Vowing to fight ruling CPI(M) in Maoist-dominated areas of West Bengal, the Community Party of India (Maoist) on Tuesday asked all anti-CPI(M) forces in the state to join hands with it for a common cause.

''The CPI(Maoist) is determined to resist all forms of violence, inroad of corporate houses in agriculture, SEZs and its forces shall crush the paid killer gangs of CPI(M) operating hand in glove with para-military and police forces in our areas,'' state secretary of the outfit Kanchan said in a statement.

He said CPI(Maoist) would strive to forge unity with all forces opposing the 'social fascist' gangs of CPI(M) and make a common cause with all victims of 'CPI(M) gangsterism and state terror.'

On the agriculture-versus-industry issue, the Maoist statement accused Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee of giving a short shrift to agricultural workers by pandering to the globalisation lobby which is 'poised for corporatisation of agriculture, contract farming, SEZs and shopping malls on agricultural land.

Hyderabad, May 20 (IANS) Maoists gunned down two people, including a village head, from Andhra Pradesh’s Khammam district, police said Tuesday. Those killed were among four tribals kidnapped by Communist Party of India (Maoist) guerrillas in Bhadrachalam division of the district, bordering Chhattisgarh, in the early hours of Monday.

Police parties, engaged in search operations along the inter-state border, Tuesday found bodies of Kurnavalli village head or ’sarpanch’ K. Narsaiah and K. Kannaiah in the forests of Chhattisgarh.

The remaining two tribals continued to be in Maoist captivity, the police said.

Armed Maoist guerrillas whisked away the four tribals from three villages around midnight, on the suspicion that they were spying for the police.A large number of rebels from Gothi Koya tribesmen from the Chhattisgarh villages were involved in the kidnapping.

There is still no trace of a tribal youth kidnapped from Tippapuram in Charla mandal, 10 days ago.

The kidnappings were in retaliation to the March 18 encounter in which the police forces of the two states gunned down 17 Maoists in Chhattisgarh forests. Majority of the dead were from Andhra Pradesh. CPI (Maoist) claimed that the gun battle was ’stage managed’.

Mangalore, May 20: Communist Party of India (Maoist) has defended the murder of Bhoja Shetty and Suresh Shetty, which occurred in Sitanadi near Hebri on May 15 and has issued a press release in this regard.Bhoja Shetty was involved in anti-social activities. Therefore, Peoples’ Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) has executed the decision taken by CPI (Maoist), stated the press release.

He was active in illegal timber mafia and sandalwood smuggling since many years. Meanwhile, he was involved in threatening the poor. Creating enmity between the people, not allowing them to go to the court and finally arbitrating between them by collecting money from both the parties was his main business. That is why he was murdered by PLGA, they stated.

Even though he was working as a teacher in a school, he was threatening his colleagues and was behaving like a goon with them. He had close association with Hindu fascist activists and illegal timber mafia and Bajarang Dal. He was also working as police informer against CPI (Maoist) party. Covertly taking possession of the land records of the people, raising loans in the bank by mortgaging their records and later making them pay up such loans, were all the anti-social activities of Bhoja Shetty. Even his subordinate Suresh Shetty was involved in these activities, said the release.

When PLGA members went to his house to convince him not to indulge in such activities, he tried to attack PLGA members by using sword. Therefore, PLGA members had to strike back. But he escaped from the hands of PLGA, they claimed.

Later he continued his anti-social works by getting police security. Even Yadyurappa and Sunil Kumar of BJP and Mahendra Kumar of Bajarang Dal directly supported him to engage in anti-social activities. HencePLGA was left with no other option than killing him.

Violence during three phases of recent rural elections in the Indian state of West Bengal claimed more than 30 lives.

This was despite the claim of Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya that they would be held "in a festive mood".

The last round of elections on Sunday was the bloodiest, with nearly 20 deaths - almost all in the border district of Murshidabad.

"This district has no industry, huge unemployment, a large smuggling mafia supported by contract killers and musclemen who are used by all political parties," says local political analyst Dipankar Chakrabarti.

Murshidabad, like neighbouring Maldah, has a Muslim majority - and like Maldah, it is also a traditional Congress stronghold, which the state's governing Marxists are desperate to win control of.

'Fight for influence'

Congress parliamentarian Adhir Choudhury has run Murshidabad as his personal fiefdom for decades and Indian foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee owes his first electoral win - in Jangipur constituency in Murshidabad in the last general election - to Mr Choudhury's organisational prowess and power.

The opposition realises it can only fight the Marxists by violence, so they also look to use similar tactics

Political economist Abhirup Sarkar

But in recent months, the Left coalition government has cornered Adhir Choudhury, after he was implicated in several murder cases and even arrested during a parliamentary session.

Mr Choudhury maintains he is innocent.

"The Marxists are desperately trying to increase their influence in Murshidabad and the village polls were seen as a big opportunity," says political analyst Sabyasachi Basu Roy Choudhuri.

"That's because they have lost their influence in some of their traditional strongholds, so this is a make-up game," says Mr Choudhuri.

"And both the Congress and the Marxists have no reservation about using hardened criminals for spreading terror in Murshidabad."

Actually, all major political parties in West Bengal - either those of the Left coalition or those in the opposition - have freely resorted to violence since Maoist rebels, or Naxalites, began an insurgency in the early 1970s.

West Bengal's villages have been rocked by political clashes (Pic: Sandipan Chatterjee)

In 2001, Mamata Banerji's Trinamul Congress won a parliamentary by-election at Panskura, allegedly mobilising the local criminal brigade by lavishing them with cash and favours.

A former Marxist mafia don, Mohammed Rafique, swung the polls in the Trinamul's favour and was treated by the party leaders like a film star.

The Marxists, threatened by a possible loss of their influence in the politically-important Midnapore district, hit back with a vengeance, unleashing "red terror" in places like Kespur and Garbeta.

"The Panskura line was countered by the Kespur line, eye for eye, bullet for bullet. This was no political battle, there was no place for debates and polemics, it was a typical feudal turf war fought with unusual brutality," says Ranabir Sammadar, director of the independent think-tank Calcutta Research Group.

'Red terror'

The Kespur assembly seat was subsequently won by the Marxists and their candidate polled 108,000 votes out of 120,000 cast.

The red-flag waving motorcycle brigade, openly brandishing rifles and swords, revolvers and locally-made bombs, first made its mark in Kespur and has ever since been the sword-arm of Bengal's governing Marxists.

During the village council polls that ended Sunday, this "motorcycle brigade" arrived in Basanti, an area dominated by their alliance partner, the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP).

They allegedly attacked the house of the RSP's minister Subhas Naskar in which his wife Gouri Naskar was killed. The Marxists blamed Gouri Naskar for storing bombs in her house and blamed her death on "one such bomb exploding".

"This is classic political tribalism. In the three decades of Left rule, the Marxists have always tried to undermine their Left allies, by force if necessary. But rarely have they gone this far," says Dyutish Chakrabarty, a professor of politics at North Bengal university.

Mr Chakrabarty says the Marxists have not merely tried to dominate the opposition parties but also their own alliance partners - and the methods have been the same.

"Manipulation of development funds, distribution of small favours, snuffing out dissent by ganging-up tactics and use of terror as the last resort - that's been the Marxist style of political consolidation," says Mr Chakrabarty, who studies political violence in the state.

Chief Minister Bhattacharya promised a 'festive' vote

To be fair, the Marxist built up a massive rural support base after they came to power in 1978, by pioneering comprehensive land reforms, by promoting local governance through the panchayats (village councils) and by spending development funds on poverty alleviation projects during the first decade of their rule.

"After that, the party expanded, became more corrupt and violent. And now it needs violence for everything it does - to win elections or acquire land for industry," says Abhirup Sarkar, who works on the political economy of West Bengal.

"And the opposition realises it can only fight the Marxists by violence, so they also look to use similar tactics, as Panskura or Nandigram has shown," says Mr Sarkar.

India's Maoist movement is expanding its operations as its People's War develops along ideological and pragmatic lines. Dr P V Ramana looks at the rise of the rebellion and the country's poorly co-ordinated counter-insurgency strategies.

While discussion of the threat posed to India by radical Islamist violence tends to dominate security assessments, the country's Maoist insurgency has been steadily expanding its areas of influence and building up its military capability. This expansion has been so great that in 2007 Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described the Maoists as the "single biggest internal security challenge facing India".

The proscribed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) was founded on 21 September 2004, following the merging of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) People's War, also known as the People's War Group, and the Maoist Communist Centre of India - two of India's most prominent insurgent groups.

The CPI-Maoist is the largest group of a wider communist insurgent movement, known as Naxalites after the village of Naxalbari in West Bengal, the site of a revolutionary rural uprising in 1967. The CPI-Maoist has a presence in 185 districts in 17 out of India's 28 states, exerting varying degrees of influence in these areas. Chhattisgarh is currently the state worst affected by the insurgency, particularly its southern Bastar region, which was referred to as a "war zone" in July 2007 by state police chief Vishwaranjan. Other states affected by Maoist violence are Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal and Maharashtra. Andhra Pradesh - where the insurgents are currently on the retreat - has been affected for the longest period of time - since 1964, when radical elements of the political Communist Party of India (Marxist) waged a rebellion called the Srikakulam armed struggle.

Prior to the forging of the CPI-Maoist in 2004, the Naxalites' four-decade campaign of violence had been confined largely to rural India, with their support base comprising landless labourers and marginalised tribal and lower-caste people. However, since the formation of the CPI-Maoist, and in particular since 2006, there have been two major shifts in the Maoists' operational strategy, increasing the security risks posed by the insurgency: targeting infrastructure; and the expansion of its geographical focus to include urban areas.

Image: Maoists raise their arms during an exercise in the central Indian state of Chattisgarh on 13 April, 2007. The CPI-Maoist is the largest organisation within the wider Maoist movement. (PA Photos)

Despite an eight per cent annual increase in the defence budget, the Indian security agencies are unable to save the lives of innocent citizens. Every attack reminds us that we unsafe. Terrorists can strike anywhere, anytime.

INDIA HAS been suffering from internal terror since a long time. The latest serial blasts in Jaipur are an evidence of our weak security system. They cannot even inform us before the event and always fail to catch the real culprits behind the terrorist attacks. After every attack, the intelligence agencies come up with same old pet name like Harkat-ul-Jehad-Islami (HuJI), Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and sometimes the Naxals.

Our intelligence agencies must know that we do not need the name of a group. We want the real perpetrators behind, who are killing innocent citizen time and again.

Terrorist strikes in Delhi, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Malegaon, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Faizabad and now Jaipur, are some examples, which prove the failure of our security and intelligence agencies to nab the real culprits, with perfect evidence. They put some suspected persons behind the bars and are unable to prove them terrorist in the court. Now it might not be wrong to say that something is fishy.

Muslims, too, have been targeted by the terrorists. After Babri Masjid and Gujarat riots, Malegaon and Jama Masjid, Delhi are the instances, where Muslims were the victims. Everybody knows that we are surrounded by some hostile neighbours. They want to destabilise our country and create a rift among the people. But our government wants to maintain friendly relation with them. However, this is only a one-sided effort, which cannot last for long.

We were attacked in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh, but our state governments became wiser after the horse had fled.

After the Jaipur serial blasts, the Rajasthan government issued a notice to find out illegal Bangladeshis among the 50,000, who have been living there since a long period. Such notices must be issued at an all India level, especially to the states bordering Bangladesh. Highly visited places are being handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). Jaipur city will be covered by close circuit television (CCTV) and high-tech security cameras that would revolve at 360 degree axis. The security measures will cost about Rs 30 lakh. Government should have done it much before.

The government is spending crores on security, Despite an eight per cent increase in the defence budget every year, our security agencies are not being able to save the lives of innocent citizens. Every attack reminds us that we are unsafe. Terrorists can strike anywhere, anytime

Hyderabad, May 19: The CPI (Maoist) naxals today abducted a village Panchayat Sarpanch and a person, belonging to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community, at Kurlapalli village in Khammam district, about 300 km away from the city.

Police said the naxals kidnapped Sarpanch K Narasaiah (50) and S Kanaiah from their houses. The reason behind the kidnap is yet to be ascertained.

Police suspect that the Maoists from Chhattisgarh might be behind the kidnap. Combing operations were intensified on the Andhra Pradesh-Chhattisgarh border following the incident.

Kathmandu, May 20 (ANI): Nepal Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai is planning to visit Kolkata in June to meet Naxal groups.

Three Naxal groups, including the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, new Democracy and Santosh Rana’s Provincial Coordination Committee have organised his visit.

Bhattarai is also expected to address a rally in Kolkata where the organizers plan to celebrate the victory of the Nepali Maoists in the recent Constituent Assembly elections, as this will be the first official engagement between the Nepali Maoists and Naxal groups, sources said. (ANI)

Warangal (Andhra Pradesh), May 20: Two Praja Pratighatana Naxalites were killed in an encounter with police at Kodishala village in Andhra Pradesh's Warangal District on Tuesday.

Acting on a tip off, a special police party reached the village and asked the extremists to surrender. The Naxalites, however chose to fire on the police party, and in the retaliation that followed, both were killed. Two others escaped.

Police have seized 11 kit bags and six weapons after the encounter.

Latest statistics available with the Union Home Ministry show that incidents of Maoist violence came down slightly in 2006 when compared to the figures for 2005. Till August 2006, 1,013 incidents were reported -- less than the 1,171 incidents during the same period in 2005, sources in the ministry said.

Though left wing extremism in India owes its name to Naxalbari in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh is regarded as the red cradle that nurtured the movement and serves as the guerrilla movement's main base.

The Naxal movement in Andhra Pradesh started in the late sixties in the 'Agency Area' (tribal-inhabited forests) of the Srikakulam district.

It was only after the formation of the Peoples' War Group (PWG), by K. Seetharamaiah on April 22, 1980, that Andhra Pradesh became the Maoist hub of India. The state entered yet another phase of armed rebellion with the merger of the PWG and MCC to form the Communist Party of India (Maoist) in 2004.

Nineteen of the state's 23 districts have been declared as Naxal-infested areas. The organizational structure of the CPI (Maoist) includes six military platoons, 28 area committees, 66 local guerrilla squads, and 16 action teams.

Along with the CPI (Maoist) State Committee there are three Special Zonal Committees covering the strategic areas around the Godavari River, North Telangana, Dandakaranya and Andhra-Orissa Border.

Naxal violence in Andhra Pradesh has claimed over 6,000 lives in the 28 years. The bloodiest year was 2005 with about 320 deaths being confirmed.

To explain this sharp escalation of violence one needs to go back to the unfortunate happenings of 2004. The much hyped cease-fire, peace process and talks during the year, which only served to expose the government's lack of preparedness in countering extremist violence.

Successive governments in Andhra Pradesh have used Naxalism as a poll plank. An undeclared pattern has emerged where the incumbent government starts with passionate slogans to seek a peaceful and political resolution, but move on to use force swiftly. The current Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy came to power with slogans of economic development. But the ground situation today reveals that counter-naxal measures are related to police measures rather than economic development.

Umesh Chandra

Umesh Chandra, IPS was bold and daring in dealing with the naxalites. He relentlessly pursued the apprehension of extremists, naxalites and other anti-social elements. He planned and led all counter-terrorist operations himself.